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The city of Bruxelles is the capital city of Eporue and main trading port to the Cificap Sea ports. It is a city of many sights and wondrous magic. It's main claim to fame is the fact that it has no military walls or fortifications what-so-ever to protect it's populous from outside attack, yet it has never fallen in battle.
| As a visitor to this great city, you will first be impressed by the lack of any obvious military forces of any kind. You walk down the road into the outskirts of the town and briefly notice a great glowing orb mounted more than 100' atop a great iron rod more than two feet in diameter. An engraved name on the bottom of the iron rod reads "NORDRI". The orb itself appears to be more than 20 feet in diameter. It pulses a gentle purple color and you will sense magic concentrated all around you, more magic than you have ever felt anyplace before. Not even your greatest magical item tingles like the magic around this pole. Off in the distance you can see at least two more similar poles also topped by a purple globe. One to the east and one to the west. |  |
After passing by the great rod and into the city, you will find that your weapon cannot be drawn from its scabbard. Returning outside of the city, it is once again free. If you attempt to walk by the orb with a weapon drawn, it disappears from your hand and is once again sealed in your scabbard. Noticing your curiosity at this phenomena, an elderly gentleman will explain your weapon has been "peace bonded". The only weapons that can be drawn within the walls of the city are those used to eat with. Any attempt to use an object as a weapon results in its quick disappearance and return to its original position prior to the attack. Powerful ancient magic are obviously at work here.
As you proceed down the city streets, you notice the fine craftsmanship of the buildings. Even the streets exhibit an artistic care in their construction. The streets of the city are made of black granite cobblestones and are finely fitted together with a gentle arch in the center of the street. They slop off to the sides into smooth carved gutters with curbs that butt against smooth granite sidewalks of 4'x4' granite slabs. They are clean and lack any of the mud and grime typical of a city of this size.
You know that the population of this city is around 60,000 people. The majority of the working class people appear to live in great bulking apartment buildings made of stone and glass that stand anywhere from 3 to 6 stories high. The streetside of these buildings sport a number of typical businesses necessary to support the population of the city. Bakers, meatcarvers, fishmongers, produce merchants and more are all busy about their businesses.
Other blocks contain homes and businesses constructed as single buildings, the residence occupying the top floor while the business is below. Some of the crafty types of businesses will have separate out-buildings all grouped together to support the business. Here you find businesses and guild offices for such things as armor, weapons, magic and the like. While they will sell you armor and weapons within the confines of the city, you will find that as soon as you acquire your new weapons they too become peace bonded.
Great merchant mansions can also be found in various districts around the city. Built to embellish and brag on the merchant's success, these buildings incorporate a bit of whimsy as well as monetary solidity.
On the southern edge of the city is the wharf district where great sailing ships land to offload their cargoes and take on the goods of the city. Nowhere in the city is there any indication of poverty or want. Even in the wharf district this holds true. The streets here are as clean as anywhere else in the city. The great warehouses of this section of town are as impressive as the other great buildings. It is said that the original design was that of Hans Holerith a renowned wizard of great ability. Like great bags of holding, these warehouses are inventoried and maintained by magic only hinted at by the rumors of those who work there. Aided by this the merchants of Bruxelles are said to be the most profitable entities in the known world.
There are 4 port areas. They are: Southport, Jib Sail Port, Sentinel Fort Port, and New Bruxelles Port.
Northwest of the wharf district is an entirely new type of open field you have never seen in all your travels. Great expanses of white marble, polished to a wondrous sheen are laid out in a grid-like pattern. Aligned down one side are large red squares of similar stone, and on the other side are green stone squares. Sitting on one of these great white squares you find a large sailing ship. It is entirely out of the water and men are busy offloading it and scurrying about it as if it were one of the typical ships you saw in the wharf district.
Again, you are rescued by the acute perceptions of yet another city resident who asks if you like their flying ship port. Ships fly through the "air" and land at their "port". While there are not yet many of these impressive vessels in the world, the city has planned ahead and prepared sufficient capacity for them when more begin to ply the skies like those that presently dock in from the seas. You glance once again at the large ship and catch her name... "The Flying Dutchman".
Bruxelles as a trading center is unexcelled by any of the world and runs just ahead of the city of Venicia.
Its main exports are grains, books and magic.
Its main imports are metals, stone, and wood.
The city being a center for cultural improvement, not only of the magical sort, but also other fine arts and creations, has one of the only newspaper (book) businesses in the entire world. Published more or less quarterly and at somewhat of an expensive magical cost, these books are heavily sought after more as curiosities than for the information they contain. No one has ever seen inside of the room where the books are printed, but great belching noises arise from the room along with a great black smoke that rises from a tall smokestack outside of the building. This goes on for several days when the final copies are being produced.
Sitting adjacent to Dnaleri, the city of Bruxelles has a heavy influence of gnomes who travel the sea between trading with the merchants of the city. Many great gnomes call Bruxelles home as well. Northwest of Bruxelles are the mountain homes of the dwarves of Eporue. Both dwarves as well as gnomes dominate the populations of all other races in this area. Elves are an almost rare sight except for those who come from far and wide to study magic at Notre Dame.
Minstrel's Alley
The Tired Tiger Saloon
The Dancing Dragon, Inn and Drinking Parlor
The Golden Goose
The Galloping Horse
The largest smithy shop you have ever seen can be found in the wharf district. The proprietors listed on the sign are Nabbi and Ivald. You notice two burly dwarfs working in the shop.
Bruxelles is ruled by a government composed of the merchants and a great dark wizard named Merlin. His white hair hangs to his waist, and he wears blue azure robes with small stars that seem to twinkle even in the brightest sunlight. Every visitor to the city will catch sight of him at least once no matter how short their stay is in the city. Some believe it is the power of his magic that makes this possible. When you catch sight of him, you will notice that he looks directly at you, his blue eyes sparkle and a hint of a smile and then he is off to other parts of the city before you can even think of pursuing or approaching him. If you do chase after him, you find that he has vanished into the city streets without a trace.
The merchants of the city are grouped into what is known as the Merchant's Guild. Administering the city, the merchants meet in a great burgher hall, simply called the Golden hall. It was built many years ago by a fellow named Ean MacDoughal, a benevolent and wealthy merchant of the city who felt that the merchants of this fine place should have a unique place to conduct the business of government. The entrance to this fine structure is through two great arches that extend through two floors and are made by golden stones along their inside edges. Sometimes the building is simply referred to as MacDoughal's.
Two other guilds have a major say or influence over the governmental activities of the city. They are the Sailor's and Jeweler's Guilds.
All sailors entering the city are automatically eligible for entry into the sailor's guild. They are required to post a 2 gp dues fee that gives them extended privileges for the next year afterwhich they are again required to pay an additional 2 gp to renew their membership.
The Jeweler's Guild is not so easy to enter. Run by an exclusive group of hermit-like dwarves, the jeweler's guild is highly influential in manipulating the merchant's of the city when they need favors or policies for their business activities passed. Since the merchants depend on being able to convert large quantities of heavy gold into lighter more valuable gems, the jewelers are allowed their eccentricities.
The largest temple in the city is the TEMPLE OF ASGARD. A complex rather than any one temple, there are separate chapels for the gods ODIN, FREYA and FORSETI.
Outside of the influence of the orbs are two other temples. The first is a temple to SATAERE and is obviously one frequented by the farmers in the area. Visitors will immediately notice the gifts of produce and grown products.
The second is an apparently abandoned temple to the god TYR. Dust and weeds blow across the steps and dark spirits seem to warn against entry.
A temple complex serves the Egyptian gods. It is administered by the lady Seraph Yos.
© Robert J Becraft, 1995, 1998. All Rights Reserved. No portions of these web documents may be reproduced or copied without the expressed consent of the author.